The old-fashioned form brethren is still sometimes used as the plural for meanings 2 and 3. brethren为旧时写法，有时仍用作义项2和3的复数。
1 N-COUNT [oft poss NOUN] （同父母的）兄，弟 Your brother is a boy or a man who has the same parents as you. （同父母的）兄，弟
SYN male sibling
2See also:half-brother stepbrother
3 N-COUNT [usually poss NOUN] 兄弟；同胞；教友；国人；同行；同志 You can describe a man as your brother if he belongs to the same race, religion, country, profession, or trade union as you, or if he has similar ideas to you. 兄弟；同胞；教友；国人；同行；同志
4 N-TITLE; N-COUNT; N-VOC 教徒，修士，僧侣（用于头衔） Brother is a title given to a man who belongs to a religious community such as a monastery. 教徒，修士，僧侣（用于头衔）
5 N-IN-NAMES （用于某些公司或商店的名称中） Brothers is used in the names of some companies and shops. （用于某些公司或商店的名称中）
Usage Note :
Note that there is no common English word that can refer to both a brother and a sister. You simply have to use both words. She has 13 brothers and sisters. The word sibling can be used, but it is very formal.
注意英语常用词汇中没有一个同时表示“兄弟姐妹”的词，要表示这一概念，只能brother和sister两个词一起用：She has 13 brothers and sisters（她有13个兄弟姐妹）。用sibling这个词可以表示此意，但非常正式。
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